Apparatus for use in feeding wire or strip material



F. A. DAWES July 1,1969

Sheet Filed Aug. 8, 1967 y 1, 1959 I F. A. DAWES 3,452,911

APPARATUS FOR USE IN FEEDING WIRE OR STRIP MATERIAL Filed Aug. 8, 1967 Sheet 2 of 2 VIA. 200 I43 FIG.2.

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\ ZIG United States Patent 3,452,911 APPARATUS FOR USE IN FEEDING WIRE 0R STRIP MATERIAL Frederick Alan Dawes, Studley, England, assignor to Bennett Tool Limited, Redditch, Worcestershire, England, a British company Filed Aug. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 659,049 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 9, 1966, 35,594/66 Int. Cl. B65h 17/22 U.S. Cl. 226156 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for use in feeding wire or strip material, the apparatus having a rack drivably connected to a pair of unidirectional driving devices which are themselves connected to feed rolls and which are arranged so that a drive will be imparted through movement of the rack to said feed rolls in a constant angular direction irrespective of the direction of movement of the rack, the rack having a slotted extension into which a flanged roller projects, said roller being mounted eccentrically on a rotatable driving member and the slot being formed along its two opposite sides with a pair of grooves into which the roller flange can extend and which extend part-Way along the length of the slot from the opposite ends thereof, the two grooves overlapping in the central part of the length of the slot so that 'when said flange is disposed in said central part of the slot, a clearance will exist between the roller and the slot to provide a dwell in the movement of the rack at each end of each stroke.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in feeding wire or strip material. One form of such apparatus embodies a straight rack which is drivably connected to a pair of unidirectional driving devices so that a drive will be transmitted by one of said devices when the rack moves in one direction and by the other devices when the rack moves in the opposite direction, there being also provided feed rolls connected to said unidirectional driving devices so that a drive transmitted through either of said devices will impart a drive to said feed rolls in one given direction, said rack being provided with a slotted extension which projects transversely of the rack and with which is engaged a roller mounted eccentrically on a rotatable driving member, the arrangement being such that in use said rack will be reciprocated in a straight line and said feed rolls will be operative to feed wire or strip material by a predetermined amount and in a constant, given direction during each stroke of the rack irrespective of the direction of motion of said rack.

One object of the present invention is to provide a modified form of apparatus as above described.

In accordance with the invention there is provided apparatus for use in feeding wire or strip material including a rack which is drivably connected to a pair of unidirectional driving devices so that a drive will be transmitted by one of said devices when the rack moves in one direction and by the other device when the rack moves in the opposite direction, feed rolls connected to said unidirectional driving devices so that a drive transmitted through either of said devices will impart a drive to said feed rolls in one given direction, a flanged roller mounted eccentrically on a rotatable driving member, and a rack extension which projects transversely of the rack, said extension having a slot into which the flanged roller projects characterised in that the slot is provided along its two opposite sides with a pair of grooves or notches which extend respectively from opposite ends of the slot so that each groove or notch extends part-way alng the length of 3,452,91 l Patented July 1, 1969 the slot with the two grooves or notches overlapping in the central part of the length of the slot, the arrangement being such that when said roller is disposed in said central part of the length of the slot, the flange of the roller will project simultaneously into both of said grooves or notches to provide a clearance between the roller and the slot whereas when the roller is disposed in a position in the slot where the two grooves or notches do not overlap engagement between the flange and that part of one side of the slot not having a groove or notch will ensure engagement between the roller and the opposite side of the slot.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein FIGURE 1 is a rear elevational view of one form of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, the rear Wall being removed and FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 are sectional detail views (on a larger scale) showing the flanged roller seen in FIGURE 1 when disposed respectively in the upper, central, and lower parts of the coacting slot formed in the rack extension.

Referring to the drawings the apparatus shown therein is adapted for use in a spring making machine in which it is required to feed wire so that it passes round a mandrel before being cut off to form a coil spring of the required length. It is however to be understood that apparatus in accordance with the invention can be used in machines other than a spring making machine.

In the apparatus now described there is provided a straight rack 10 which is drivably connected to a pair of uni-directional driving devices in the form of free wheel devices 11 and 12 which are connected to feed rolls (not shown) in the known manner for feeding the wire onto a mandrel, said free wheel devices 11 and 12 and feed rolls being arranged so that a drive transmitted through either of said devices will impart a drive to the feed rolls in one given direction irrespective of the direction of movement of the rack 10.

For the purpose of reciprocating the rack as above described there is provided a rotatable driving member 13 connected in a gear 14 to an electric motor (not shown) and the rack is provided with an extension 15 having a slot 16 which extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the rack.

Mounted eccentrically on said rotatable driving member 13 is a roller brush 17 which is provided at one axial end with a radially outwardly extending flange 18, said roller being mounted on a pin 19 which is connected to said rotatable driving member so as to be adjustable in a radial direction. The flanged roller projects into the aforesaid slot 16 formed in the rack extension so that adjustment of the radial position of said roller will vary the length of stroke of the rack.

The two opposite sides of said slot in the rack extension are constituted by a pair of wear strips 20 and 21 and in said strips are formed a pair of grooves 20a and 21a or notches (hereinafter referred to as grooves) which extend respectively from opposite ends of the slot 16 so that each groove extends part way along the length of the slot with the two grooves overlapping in the central part of the length of the slot. Furthermore the two grooves are aligned with the flange 18 on the roller so that they lie in a diametral plane of the roller which contains said flange.

With the above described arrangement and considering one of said wear strips only it will be appreciated that the flange of the roller can either be in a position in which it enters into the groove of said wear strip or an alternative position in which the flange runs along the edge of the strip.

As previously mentioned the two grooves in the two wear strips 20 and 21 overlap along the central part of the length of the slot 16 so that when said roller 17 is disposed in said central part of the slot the two grooves receive diametrically opposite parts of the roller flange. The diameter of said roller remote from the flange is less than the minimum distance between the Wear strips 20 and 21 so that with the roller in the centre of the slot a clearance will exist between the roller and the two wear strips as shown in FIGURE 3. It will be appreciated that a change in direction of motion of the rack 10 will occur when said roller 17 is in the central part of the slot so that the aforementioned arrangement will provide a dwell in the motion of the rack at each end of each stroke. Such a dwell will permit conventional cutting-off mechanism (not shown) to operate to sever the previously formed spring.

On the other hand once the roller 17 moves out of the central part of the length of the slot (i.e. out of that part in which the two grooves overlap) the roller flange will run out of the groove on one wear strip and will then run along the edge of the strip so that the roller is displaced relative to the rack extension to ensure that the unflanged part of the roller will engage the opposite wear strip, the roller flange then being able to project into the groove of said opposite strip. Thus in FIGURE 2 the roller flange engages wear strip 21 and the part of the roller remote from the flange engages wear strip 20 (the roller then being in the upper end of the slot) whilst in FIGURE 4 the roller flange engages wear strip 20 and the part of the roller remote from the flange engages wear strip 21, the roller then being in the lower end of the slot.

Thus although a clearance is provided between the roller and the sides of the slot when the roller is in the central part of the slot to provide a dwell as above explained, during other parts of the motion of the roller in the slot the roller will be engaged on both sides so that the movement of the rack is firmly controlled.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for use in feeding wire or strip material including a rack, a pair of unidirectional driving devices to which the rack is drivably connected so that a drive will be transmitted by one of said devices when the rack moves in one direction and by the other device when the rack moves in the opposite direction, feed rolls connected to said unidirectional driving devices so that a drive transmitted through either of said devices will impart a drive to said feed rolls in one given direction, a flanged rack driving roller, a rotatable driving member on which said roller is eccentrically mounted, and a rack extension having a transverse slot into which the flanged roller projects and which is provided along its two opposite sides with a pair of grooves which extend respectively from opposite ends of the slot so that each groove extends partway along the length of the slot with the two grooves overlapping in the central part of the length of the slot, so that when the roller is disposed in said central part of the slot, the flange of the roller will project simultaneously into both of said grooves to provide a clearance between the roller and the slot whereas when the roller is disposed in a position in the slot where the two grooves do not overlap, engagement between the roller flange and the ungrooved part of one side of the slot, will ensure engagement between the opposite side of the slot and that part of the roller remote from the flange.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the opposite sides of the slot are constituted by a pair of wear strips in which said grooves are formed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1961 Allen 226156 X 12/1961 Adams 226156 

